Party Chair Responds to Racist Republican Facebook Post

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The chairwoman of the Republican Party of Minnesota says the person responsible for a racist and derogatory Facebook post on a party website has resigned at her request.

Chairwoman Jennifer Carnahan issued a statement Monday night after the posting appeared on the Facebook page of Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District Republican Party. It featured racist, derogatory language superimposed on a photo of Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison, who is black.

Carnahan called the posting "repugnant hate speech" that "in no way reflects the values of the Minnesota Republican Party."

The Facebook posting was up for several hours Monday night before it was taken down. Minnesota DFL Chair Ken Martin said in a statement that "there has been a disturbing increase in this type of threatening behavior and fear-mongering since the election of Donald Trump."